Chinedum Elekwachi
Former Chairman of the Emordi Shoe Dealers Association, Ochanja Market, Onitsha, Mr. Tochukwu Anigbogu, narrowly escaped death on Wednesday after thugs allegedly loyal to a former market leader, Chief Nwabueze Umeh, attacked him and looted his shops.
Witnesses said the suspected thugs stormed the market armed with dangerous weapons and attacked Anigbogu, beating him severely and leaving him in a pool of blood, gasping for breath before traders rushed him to a nearby hospital.
When contacted, Chief Umeh denied the allegation, insisting that Anigbogu was the aggressor.
He claimed the incident occurred in his office and that those present merely retaliated.
Umeh dared Anigbogu to direct his grievances to the government rather than him.
Anigbogu, a former councillor for Njikoka Ward II, an APGA stakeholder and a member of the Soludo/Ibezim Campaign Council, emerged chairman of the Emordi Shoe Dealers Association on November 20, 2025.
Traders elected him alongside eight other executives in an election supervised by officials of the Onitsha South Local Government Area.
However, the Anambra State Government, through the Special Adviser on Markets Development, Chief Evarist Uba, later nullified the election and inaugurated a caretaker committee to manage the affairs of the market.
Anigbogu and his executives subsequently approached the court, challenging the decision and insisting that traders duly elected them as leaders of a sub-market association within Ochanja Main Market.
Tension reportedly escalated on Wednesday when Anigbogu led police officers to arrest some traders accused of instigating earlier attacks on the elected leadership.
Disruption to prayer session
The arrests disrupted a prayer session and handover ceremony held on December 5, 2025.
Eyewitnesses said armed men and thugs allegedly loyal to Chief Umeh descended on Anigbogu during the operation, beating him and inflicting serious injuries with cutlasses and axes.
The attack reportedly caused grievous bodily harm, including a broken skull.
Sources added that attackers later followed Anigbogu to the hospital in an attempt to continue the assault but hospital security stopped them.
Medical personnel later evacuated him to another undisclosed facility under tight security to save his life.
Speaking from the undisclosed medical facility where he is receiving treatment, Anigbogu alleged that Chief Nwabueze Umeh, popularly known as Ofiafuluagu Okija, had hijacked the affairs of the Emordi Shoe Dealers Association for about nine years by refusing to hand over leadership after the expiration of his tenure.
He further alleged that Umeh failed to account for multi-million-naira assets, including 450 plots of land acquired at Oba and over 100 shops built by traders to expand the market.
Anigbogu also claimed that his attackers invaded three of his shops, carting away goods and cash.
Responding, Chief Umeh again denied all allegations. He said, “Let him go and settle any issue he has with government and not me.
“Government has constituted a caretaker committee in the market.”
Legal battle on
Meanwhile, Anigbogu and his executive members have filed a pre-action notice in court and petitioned relevant government agencies, seeking the restoration of their leadership.
Counsel to the Registered Trustees of the Emordi Shoe Dealers Association, Chief Ugo Ugwunnadi, has also filed a suit at the Onitsha High Court against Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh and 13 others.
In suit number O/390/2025, filed through an originating summons, the plaintiffs are seeking several reliefs, including declarations on the legality of their election and leadership of the association.
